Electric Boat - Specific Job Sites & Asbestos Exposure

Founded in 1899 by Isaac Rice and Elihu Frost, Electric Boat is headquartered in Groton, Connecticut, with additional facilities in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The company currently employs 10,500 employees and has a long history of work with the US Navy. Electric Boat built the nation’s first submarine, after persuading the US Navy that such a vessel would be an important addition to its fleet. In 1906, Electric Boat built six submarines for the Navy. In 1931, Electric Boat built the Cuttlefish. This was the first welded-hull submarine. As World War II was fought, the company produced over 80 submarines for the US Navy and 550 submarine chasers for the British navy.

Electric Boat built the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, which Mamie Eisenhower christened in 1954. The use of nuclear power meant that submarines could travel more quickly and stay underwater for longer periods of time. They were also more maneuverable. In 1960, the nuclear-powered Triton, which Electric Boat also built, became the first submarine to circle the globe underwater. Electric Boat is also credited with building the nation’s first Polaris submarine with missile capacity. The company again innovated submarine defense systems in the 1980s by building a type of submarine called the Ohio. Ohio submarines could launch missiles twice the distance of the Polaris (1). In 2003, Electric Boat won a $8.7 billion contract from the US Navy to build six Virginia submarines (2).

Shipbuilding facilities are considered a high risk site for asbestos exposure, because the substance was used so widely in the process of shipbuilding. Asbestos refers to a group of six naturally occurring minerals that can be mined or found in the dirt or soil. From the early 1800’s until the late twentieth century, asbestos was used extensively in industries such as ship building and construction. The US Navy estimates that it used 289 products that contained asbestos in its shipbuilding operations.

Exposure to asbestos occurs when particles become airborne and are then inhaled or ingested by workers, settling into parts of the body such as the lungs and the abdomen. After many years (sometimes as many as 50 years), these aggravators can lead to chronic and terminal respiratory conditions such as lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural effusions and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that can be treated but not cured. It spreads through the mesothelium, a membrane which lines the body’s internal organs. This type of cancer can develop up to 50 years after an initial exposure to asbestos. Asbestos exposure is considered the leading risk factor for the disease, and once exposure occurs, this risk is not diminished. 

The risks of asbestos exposure were known and documented by the 1920’s. However, it took many decades for industry and government to curb asbestos usage or take steps to protect workers from exposure. In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency enacted a ban on most uses of asbestos in the United States. Limited use is still legal, if products and processes carry visible warnings. By the time this ban was enacted, however, millions had already been exposed to asbestos in the workplace.

Electric Boat was no exception to these exposure trends and many workers report that asbestos exposure contributed to diagnoses of respiratory conditions such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. Lawsuits have been brought against Electric Boat by former employees and by the family members  of former employees who have died from conditions caused by asbestos exposure (3). In 1982, a group of over 300 former or current employees brought a suit against Electric Boat for damages related to asbestos exposure (4).

'Electric Boat - Specific Job Sites & Asbestos Exposure' Resources:
  1. Groark Virginia. Day Publishing Company. 1998 “Willingness to Take Risks is Hallmark of EB’s History.”
    Accessed: 3 August 2007.
  2. Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center. “Electric Boat.”.
    Accessed: 3 August 2007
  3. SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN. New York Times., 19 January 1982. “Workers Suit over Asbestos at Groton Shipyard to Open.”
    Accessed: 3 August 2007.